How to Write 宅 (zhái) — Meaning “Residence, house, or to stay at home.”

Imagine a roof (宀) covering a person who is staying put at home. The bottom part 乇 looks like a person lying down. So you can remember that under the roof, the person is at home.

Write the roof first: dot, dot, horizontal stroke. Then write the bottom: left-falling stroke, horizontal, and finally a vertical hook. A common mistake is making the last stroke too short or writing it as a simple vertical line—it must hook slightly left.

宁 (níng) means 'peaceful' and has the bottom part 丁 (a nail). 它 (tā) means 'it' and has the bottom part 匕 (a spoon). 宅 has the bottom part 乇, which is unique. In meaning, 宅 specifically refers to a residence or staying home, while 宁 is about calmness and 它 is a pronoun.

宅 means 'residence' in formal words like 住宅 (dwelling). In casual speech, it means 'to stay at home' as in 宅家. Culturally, 宅男 and 宅女 describe homebodies, a concept borrowed from Japanese otaku culture, often referring to people who enjoy staying indoors.

Common words containing 宅 include: 住宅 (zhù zhái) — residence; dwelling; 宅男 (zhái nán) — Otaku or homebody (male).; 宅家 (zhái jiā) — To stay at home..